Justice At Peabody

Union workers earn more
Wages and benefits for the average union worker in the private sector totaled $31.94 per hour in
2004, compared to $22.28 an hour for the typical non-union worker. The advantage to the union
worker is $9.66 per hour or $20,092 per year for a full-time, full-year worker.

Wages and salaries
In March 2004, the average union worker in the private sector earned $20.32 per hour while the
average non-union worker earned $16.21 per hour. Therefore, the typical union worker enjoys
$4.11 per hour more than their non-union counterpart does, which is $8,548 per year for a full-
time, full-year worker.

Benefits though are where the biggest union advantage lies. The average union worker in the
private sector receives $11.61 per hour toward their benefits package while their non-union
counterpart receives only $6.06 per hour.

Retirement benefits
After years of service, workers deserve a secure retirement. Unfortunately, only 45 percent of
non-union workers receive retirement benefits; either defined benefit, defined contribution or
both. Just 15 percent have a defined benefit plan that pays out a set amount every month,
regardless of fluctuations in the stock market.

Forty percent have riskier defined contribution plans like 401(k)s whose payouts rise and fall
with the investments that make up the plan. As employees at Enron and WorldCom have
discovered, defined contribution retirement funds may not be there when it's time to retire. In
stark contrast, 83 percent of union workers have retirement benefits and nearly 72 percent have
the safer, defined benefit plans.

Nearly 50 percent of all workers have no medical care through their employer, and far fewer
have dental and vision coverage. For union workers that is not the case. Seventy-five percent of
all private sector union workers have medical benefits, 53 percent have dental care and 41
percent have vision care.

More vacation, holidays and sick leave
Union workers are more likely to receive vacation, holiday and sick leave than non-union
workers do. Ninety percent of union workers receive paid vacations, versus 78 percent of non-
union workers. Similarly, union workers are more likely to receive paid holidays — 91 percent
compared to 78 percent.

Unions also help close the gender gap in earnings. In 2003, non-union women earned 65
percent as union men and 78 percent as much as non-union men. In contrast, union women
earned 86 percent as much as union men and 4 percent more than non-union men.